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Crystal Blue Persuasion

Darren Fox, aka “Brother MOLOCH”, posted an interesting question to the Hyatt list today, regarding the identity of the ‘Bluestone’ originally employed in Hoodoo.

Since the currently available Bluestone of the trade that is found in Botanicas &tc. varies widely in both nature and quality, it is not a bad idea to see if perhaps the identity of 'Bluestone' might be resolved, so that an authentic substance or composition might once again enter into common usage.

There is some debate about this. I've seen the claim that the original Bluestone was Copper Sulphate, also known as Blue Copperas, and as Blue or Roman Vitriol, which requires some care in handling as it will burn you or anyone it comes into contact with rather badly.

Copperas as Blue Vitriol < and distinct from Green or Iron Vitriol > turns up in many dyeing procedures that call for Indigo < and lime >, as it enhances the action of the Indigo within the fabric being dyed blue.

Yet another candidate for Bluestone is Azurite, which was anciently and still is employed as both a pigment and in the fashioning of jewellery.

Azurite served as the default and more common replacement for the rare and expensive < quite literally more precious than Gold > *Lapis Lazuli* < literally 'blue stone' >, or Ultramarine, obtained 'beyond the sea' from mines in the Kokcha Valley of Badakshan, now northeast Afghanistan.

In the early 1800s, artificial Ultramarine became widely and inexpensively available, and the once rare and precious commodity was pressed into service as common laundry bluing, along with Prussian Blue < Ferric Ferrocyanide >, which is a dark blue pigment more commonly associated with engineering and architectural blueprints - as well as the smeary and smelly blue mimeographs some of us may recall from our school years. Prussian Blue is obtained from Green Copperas, or Iron Vitriol.

One can purchase synthetic ultramarine pigment in powder from any fine arts supply house - I recommend Sennelier's 'Ultramarine Deep' Fine Dry Pigment. Less than twenty bucks for three ounces.

A mixture of equal parts 'Ultramarine Deep', Sodium Bicarbonate and powdered chalk < calcium carbonate > will give you a fine laundry-grade, people- and environment- friendly 'bluestone' powder similar to what my Grandmother used in her washing.